Sheet 4: Investigation into the details of the problem (function; location; environmental factors; storage; safety).

At this stage you need ‘zoom in’ to the problem you are trying to solve. (e.g. ‘zoom in’ from... assisting someone with an illness with an everyday task, to... helping someone who suffers from arthritis to make a cup of tea).  

On this sheet you will look (in detail) at the factors which will affect your design. Read through the following points and decide which are relevant to your project. (Maybe print this off and tick those you intend to cover).


Function

• Photographs of how the task is carried out by a typical person without the disability or illness AND photographs to show how the task differs for your target user; include close ups with your notes added; use arrows to refer to specific parts of the photographs
• A step-by-step breakdown of precisely what is required to complete the task (e.g. in the form of a flowchart or numbered list); include notes if the task can be completed in different ways
• Quotes from an example of your target market, explaining specifically how they manage to do the task; include details of which stages present the biggest problem; include photos
• Quotes from an example carer or relative (or other professional such as a teacher) of someone in your target market, explaining specifically what they observe when the task is carried out; include photos
• Further analysis of the most popular existing products in use; include positive and negative comments; use arrows to refer to specific features on the photos

Location

• Photographs of an example of the specific location in which the product is likely to be used; add notesaryand use arrows to highlight any features in the photos which you consider to be important
• A plan (bird’s eye) view of an example of the environment in which the product is likely to be used (e.g. a room or floor plan);  use arrows to highlight any features in the photos which you consider to be important

Environmental factors

• Comment on the differences between  sustainable materials and recycled materials.  Comment on examples of whether you feel there are opportunities for use of either or both classes of materials in your product
• Comment on how designing the product in a way which allows maintenance can result in a more environmentally friendly product (i.e. extended product life)
• Comment on how designing the product in a way which allows materials to be separated will enable the individual materials to be recycled (e.g. using screws or nuts & bolts rather than adhesives)

Storage

• Comment on the need for your product to be stored when not in use
• Where could it be stored if necessary (include photos)?
• Does it need to be mobile? If so, does it need to be carried, or transported in a car or on a bike?

Safety

• Are there any obvious safety considerations / laws to consider?
• Are there any characteristics of your target market which lead to specific safety considerations (e.g. elderly people tend to have fragile skin which can easily bruise and tear).
• Are there likely to be other people and/or pets around when the product you are designing is likely to be used? (i.e. small parts can be swallowed by young children, especially if they look like sweets, e.g. beads, counters, etc).

*Remember to make your sheet look good too. You can use:

• Light coloured tints behind some text boxes
• Faded (watermark type) images behind some text boxes

Example

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